ARCANDINA: Beyond Television to Advocacy, Capacity Building, and Community Mobilization

(En Español)
Project Dates: 1996-Present

• The Arcandina Adventure Begins
• Arcandina Incorporates Population, Health, and Environment Messages
• Arcandina Launches a New Adventure
• Arcandina Impact
• Future Directions

The Arcandina Adventure Begins

In December 1996, the first national television program to promote awareness and support for environmental conservation among children and adolescents premiered in Ecuador. Arcandina ("The Andean Ark") was broadcast weekly throughout the country until December 1997. Arcandina used an entertainment education approach, behavior change strategies, and community mobilization to encourage children to become environmentally responsible citizens. At the end of its first season in December 1997, 40 shows had been produced in Ecuador and aired both nationally and internationally.

Arcandina Incorporates Population, Health, and Environment Messages

In 1998, JHU/PCS and Arcandina developed a set of messages to help children understand the links between population, health, and the environment (PHE). These PHE messages emphasize the interdependence between population, consumption habits, technology, available resources and the environment.

Arcandina Launches a New Adventure

On November 27, 1999, more than two thousand Ecuadorian children gathered at the largest of Quito's theaters and made a commitment to protect the Galapagos Island. They demanded that population growth be slowed so the environment and species of the Galapagos Islands would no longer be harmed. The children's oath was part of the re-launch of the Arcandina children's television show and was sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Education, Galapagos National Park, Charles Darwin Foundation, USAID, and the Johns Hopkins University/Population Communication Services.

The activities during this launching ceremony included appearances by the TV characters that performed in a fifteen-minute show entitled "A Magical Trip to the Enchanted Islands." The children then displayed a giant banner on which they had painted their messages about protecting the Galapagos Islands. This symbol of their commitment and concern will continue to grow as new messages are added to the banner.

The Environmental Director of the Metropolitan Quito District took the opportunity to baptize the Arcandina Ark with ashes from the Guagua Pichincha volcano. The Ark is a five-meter long mobile center for environmental education that will support Arcandina activities. Immediately after the launch, the children were able to sign up for Arcandina memberships at the Ark and at the new Arcandina headquarters. The Ark then participated in the Quito Festival parade, which drew 30,000 spectators along a 10-mile route.

Since November 27, 1999, the Arcandina TV show has been on the air daily Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. Each episode showcases the adventures of the Arcandina crew and profiles population-environment links through musical and informational segments. Viewers are also engaged through daily telephone contests based on the segments aired that day. To date, 60 episodes have been produced and broadcast.

The Arcandina television show is also complemented by activities in schools. A network of primary schools is currently pilot-testing a population-environment curriculum that incorporates these themes into all areas of study. The curriculum has met with such success that schools on the Galapagos Islands have requested that their own network of schools begin using it.

Arcandina Impact

	Exposure to TV Show Number of viewers 7 to 12 years old: 87,771 Number of phone calls to the TV show: 8,400 Rating among 7 to 12 year old viewers: 16 Average rating for the Teleamazonas channel: 6.5
	Other Exposure to Messages "Trip to the Enchanted Islands" musical: 2,000 Quito City Parade: 50,000 Children's World Tree Planting Event: 70

Future Directions

The Arcandina TV has now reached a level of maturity that requires it face the challenge of financial sustainability. Arcandina must now begin to generate its own financial resources in order to assure long-term viability. Since it was first launched, the Arcandina show has demonstrated that it is a powerful conveyor of social messages as well as a generator of community mobilization in the areas of population and environment.

We must now capitalize on the power of the brand to:

1. attract more donors and sponsors;

2. identify co-production and distribution opportunities in the Latin America market;

3. explore potential product and merchandising lines; and

4. strengthen the brand at the local and regional levels.